-Chapter Two-

Nothing ever lasts forever… not even the things you protect with your heart

" Now, are you sure you can carry both of us?" Grizz asked. Ice simply gave a strained grunt as he continued walking. Ice was a strong bear. He could carry heavier things for miles without getting tired. However, carrying two grown bears on your back is another thing. Ice continued to walk through the forest, trying to ignore the two large weights on his back. Sadly, it wasn't working as well as he hoped.

Grizz, being the protective eldest brother that he was, invented the bear stack so the bears could travel together in a group. So this way, it was impossible for the bears to get separated. However, since the bears were stacked, one bear had to carry two of the bears around and do all of the walking. Grizz wanted to be the bottom bear, but Panda suggested that they transition when the bottom bear got tired.

This would have been a good plan... if it wasn't for the fact that both Grizz and Panda got tired really easily. That left Ice to be the bottom bear. Both Panda and Grizz objected immediately, but Ice insisted. So, here they were now, taking a small stroll through the woods with Grizz on top, Panda in the middle, and Ice at the bottom. Ice took another deep breath and paused in his walking.

Grizz noticed this and jumped off Panda's back. " We can stop here for now," he said. Panda nodded and hopped down Ice's back. Ice gave a small sigh in relief and allowed himself to fall down into the soft grass. He rolled onto his back and looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful summer day in San Francisco. A light spring breeze blew through the flowers next to Ice bear. The sky was a nice light blue and it was filled with a few wispy clouds as well. Ice allowed a ghost of a smile to graze his face as he closed his eyes.

" Hey, that kind of looks like a heart", a voice stated. Ice opened his eyes and turned his head. Grizz was laying on the right of Ice, while Panda laid on his left. Ice turned his attention back to the sky. The cloud indeed looked like a heart. " Now it looks like a rabbit," Panda said. As Panda and Grizz continued to call out different cloud shapes, Ice suddenly felt extremely tired. Ice tried to keep his eyes open, but for some reason, he couldn't.

" Too tired... fight... eyes open.. so sleepy," was all Ice thought before his world faded back into darkness.

When Ice reopened his eyes again, he was surprised to find himself in a dark cave. It was nothing like the cave he called home. It was a huge cave, completely barren of life. Ice gulped as he started walking deeper and deeper into the intimidating cave. *drip* *drip* *drip* went the water. The sound echoed through the large cave, making the air rise with tension.

Ice felt lost and confused. But most of all... Ice was scared. Where are his older brothers? Are they okay? What happened? Ice continued to look frantically around the cave, trying to find something, anything that would lead him to his brothers. His search, sadly, ended in vain. Ice bear contemplated on just sitting on the ground, waiting for someone to save him. At least that idea would save his strength.

" No, that would do nothing. I can't just sit around all day. What if my brothers need saving? What is they're in trouble? I have to help them." With a new idea in motion, Ice continued walking.

It might have been hours, Ice lost track of time, but he finally found something. It wasn't a sight that Ice wanted to see. Blood. Blood was all over the cave walls. It was like someone painted the cave with the sticky substance. At first, Ice bear prayed that it was just red paint. His prayers weren't answer, when the smell of copper filled Ice's nostrils quickly. A trademark smell of blood.

Ice felt disgust rise in the pits of his stomach. The feeling to vomit was almost unbearable. Not wanting to make an even bigger mess of the cave and to save his dignity, Ice bear covered his nose. This didn't stop the scent of blood from breaching Ice's nose, but the smell was a little bit bearable now. Ice continued to trudge through the cave. Ice wanted to leave, but he knew that his brothers might be in this cave. Even if Ice reaches the end of this cave and finds something horrible, Ice needed to make sure that his brothers weren't here. He had to make sure.

Finally, Ice reached the end of the cave. Ice gave a sigh of relief, thankful that he didn't find his brothers in a bloody mess. Even though Ice still needed to look for his brothers, it was better for his brothers to be lost than dead. " W-what a-are y-y-you d-d-doing h-here?" a small, timid voice asked behind Ice bear. Ice turned around to face that person, only to find a young girl standing a few feet behind him.

The girl was covered in bruises, scratches, and scars. She had deep dark bags under her eyes, due to lack of sleep. She was so gaunt and frail to the point that Ice feared that a small breeze would make this girl fall apart. She had long brown hair that reached the floor, but it was very thin and she didn't have a lot of hair anyway. What would have been bright emerald gems were now dulled fearful green eyes. This girl was the very picture of sickness and misery. This girl was just a mere shell of a person. When Ice looked into her eyes, all he saw was fear and despair.

" And she's no older than Chloe," Ice thought sadly. The girl once again looked desperately at Ice. " Y-you can't b-b-be here. Y-you need to l-l-eave, now," she said urgently. Suddenly, a voice echoed the halls.

Where are you, my prey

Come out, come out

Wherever you are

The voice itself was scary and sinister enough, but it was everywhere. Like the blood that dripped from the cave walls and ceiling, the voice continued its mockery, repeating the words over and over and over again like a broken radio. Ice, by now, was beyond terrified. He didn't know where to go. Should he run forward? Should he stay behind and protect this girl? Should he curl into a small ball and beg for mercy? What should he do?

" R-run," the girl whispered. Ice was about to protest before the girl weakly pushed him forward. " R-run, d-d-on't worry about m-me. I-it won't h-harm m-m-me, y-yet," the girl repeated, this time, her voice getting a little louder. So, that's exactly what Ice did. He ran.

Running, running, running

" Where do I go?" Ice thought frantically, avoiding a bunch of rocks along his path to avoid tripping. " Where are my brothers? Did they... Did they leave me?! They wouldn't do that!"

I have to get away

Can't stop, won't stop

Have to keep running

" Panda, Grizz, where are you?! I need you! Oh god, I'm so scared, so very scared," Ice sobbed in his head as he continued running. His breathing now labored as he continued to run from his invisible enemy.

Laughter, Screams, Cries

Doesn't really matter what sounds are made

All it matters is that I run

While Ice was preoccupied by his terrified thoughts, he failed to notice a large rock in front of him. He tripped and tumbled forward. Ice landed on his leg, effectively twisting it.

Run, Run, Run

Ice turned around frantically just to see a large blurred figure running towards him at lightning speed.

Run,

Run...

Before Ice could cover his eyes in fear, he caught a glimpse of a crazed fanged smirk along with mischievous sapphire blue eyes.

RUN!

And all Ice could do was scream.

Unlike last time whereas Ice simply opened his eyes calmly to exit his nightmare, Ice snapped open his eyes in a desperate attempt to exit his nightmare. He started breathing frantically, trying to reclaim his breath once again. Ice placed his paw on his chest in an attempt to calm his frantically beating heart. He was sure that it was beating so loud that his brothers could surely hear it.

As the minutes rolled on, his heart beat went back down to a steady rate and Ice bear was able to control his breathing once again. Shakily, Ice exited the fridge and walked towards the kitchen sink to get a nice cool glass of water. With trembling paws, he opened the cabinet to get a small glass. He turned the faucet on and held the glass underneath it. Water pooled into the glass.

Once Ice got his water, he turned towards the table and slowly sat down. Taking a small sip, Ice turned his head towards the clock. This time it was just 6:00 in the morning. "Better than last time," Ice thought bitterly as he took another sip of water. Ice sat back against his chair and took another deep breath. The nightmare was worse than last night.

Though Ice tried not to feel this way, Ice couldn't help but feel betrayed by his brothers. He knew that it was only a nightmare, and that Panda and Grizz would never abandon him in a place like that, but... still... Where were they when Ice needed them the most? Ice wanted to go to his brothers and talk to them about his nightmares. It was a very reasonable thing to do. After all, it was probably best that Ice didn't keep all of the pent up stress inside of him.

However, the more Ice tried to reason with himself that it was a good idea to tell his brothers, the more his pride seemed to convince him otherwise. " Just like a small toddler crying to their mommy." Ice groaned irritably and gently banged his head against the table. How could this day get any worse? " Oh yeah, today we're helping Theo find his phone," he thought sadly.

If you haven't guessed it yet, Ice bear loathed Theo. Some people would scold at Ice's behavior. Some people would say," You just met the guy. Give him a chance! Maybe you two could be great friends!" But Ice knew better than to trust a human like Theo. Theo was the type of person that Ice could never get along with. Ice bear didn't like Charlie that much.

He was sloppy, disorganized, and overall overbearing. However, Ice could still tolerate Charlie and still saw him as a good friend. At least Charlie was a good hearted individual that was honest, hardworking, and compassionate. Even Ice had to admit that much.

However, Theo wasn't anything like that. Ice wouldn't care if Theo was the neatest, smartest, or most powerful being in the world. That would never change who Theo is. Theo was a snake, and Ice bear hated snakes. Like a snake shedding its skin, Theo seemed to change personalities, to change who he was, in order to get what he wanted. That kind of person always scared Ice bear.

Why? Well, think of it this way: If a person kept changing their identity, kept changing themselves to fit in, kept hiding their true nature to slither their way into someone's heart, then what was that person like before the lying began? That person wouldn't exist anymore. It scared Ice bear that people were willing to let go of themselves in order to just simply fit in or get what they want. Was it worth it? Ice just couldn't understand.

Even though Ice didn't know Theo that well, he still trusted his gut. "Stay away from Theo. Ignore him, push him away, do anything you can, but don't let him get close to you," it screamed. " Never trust a snake," Ice thought. Ice looked at his now empty glass. Getting up, Ice once again made his way towards the faucet. " Hey, couldn't sleep either huh?" a voice asked.

" Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Ice thought. Turning his attention towards the human leaning casually against the door frame, Ice took his seat, staring at the man cautiously. Theo walked towards Ice and sat down next to him. Ice looked into his eyes and looked away immediately. Theo's eyes were blue. Like in his nightmare. " Wow, you really don't like me, do you?" Theo asked with a small smirk.

" Ice bear doesn't like you... at all." " You're a blunt individual." " Ice bear doesn't see a problem with that." " You could hurt my feelings." " Ice bear doubts that." Theo chuckled a little and sighed. " Well, this has been officially the longest conversation I've had with you." Ice glared at Theo coldly before turning his gaze back to his water. Theo smiled and said," No need to be so cold, kid." " You're not that much older than Ice bear." " Let's see, I'm 29, how old are you?" "... 20," Ice said in defeat.

"I see. How old are your brothers?" " Why do you wish to know?" "Just curious." "... Panda is 24 while Grizz is 27." " You really are the baby of the family!" Theo gushed out. Ice bear held back the wanting to roll his eyes. Ice got up and headed towards the fridge. " Hey, where are you going?" Theo asked. " Ice bear will go back to sleep now." "By the way, why were you up, Icy?"

Ice bear cringed at the horrible nickname and turned at Theo. He walked around the table so he could face Ice bear directly. Since Ice was a bear and Theo a person, Ice still had to look down in order to maintain eye contact with Theo. But, Theo was a pretty tall person, so Ice didn't have to look that far down in order to stare at him. " Ice bear doesn't feel like he should tell you." " It was a nightmare, was it?" Ice bear simply ignored him and was about to enter the fridge. Then, a hand wrapped around his arm and stopped him from going any further.

Ice froze when he felt the hand. It was so, so cold. Even though Ice slept in a fridge, Ice still was a warm bear. The fridge provided Ice bear with a comfortable cool that helped him sleep. This cold almost burned his arm. Startled, Ice bear tried to jerk his arm away from the burning cold hand, but it held firm. Theo simply stood there as he continued to hold Ice bear's arm in a forceful manner.

" If you're scared, you can just talk to me about it, alright?" Theo asked with a large smile. His voice was friendly, but it was a mocking friendly. It was a threatening friendly. Before Ice could protest, he felt the hand squeeze tighter around his arm. Wincing a little, Ice turned his attention back to Theo, trying his hardest not to punch that arrogant snot in the face.

" I can't make a commotion, it'll wake my brothers." Hesitantly, Ice nodded his head. Theo, seemingly pleased with this answer, released Ice's arm. Ice pulled his arm away from the freezing cold hand. Theo backed away, his smirk still on his face. " Goodnight, Icy-" " Please don't call Ice bear that." Theo merely shrugged his shoulders and left. Taking a shaky breath, Ice bear turned towards his fridge, planning on falling asleep. Sadly, not all plans go your way, for Ice bear stayed awake for the remainder of the night, rubbing his arm in a desperate attempt to warm it up and forget about that terrible feeling of Theo's cold hand.

Unknown to both Ice bear and (luckily) Theo, Panda and Grizz saw the whole thing. Panda, feeling hungry, wanted to sneak into the kitchen, quietly opened the fridge (careful not to wake Ice bear), get a pudding pop, then get back into his room. Before he could make it into the kitchen, he saw Ice sitting down drinking some water... with Theo sitting right next to him.

Panda usually didn't like eavesdropping, but he felt like this time, it was totally justified. " Wow, you really don't like me, don't you?" " Ice bear doesn't like you... at all." Panda stifled a snicker, hearing how blunt his little brother was. " Hey Panda, what's going on? I heard talking, so I got up and-" a voice asked. " Shh, Grizz, I'm trying to listen." Grizz, now curious, listened in on the conversation.

" No need to be so cold, kid." " You're not that much older than Ice bear." " Let's see, I'm 29, how old are you?" " Jeez, he's old," Grizz said out loud. Panda merely nodded his head in agreement. In all honesty, they didn't think that Theo was that old. He looked younger than that. " How old are your brothers?" " Why do you wish to know?" Just curious." "... Panda is 24 while Grizz is 27." "You really are the baby of the family!" Both Panda and Grizz winced at Theo's tone. It was so, so... sweet. And not the good kind of sweet either.

Both Grizz and Panda saw Ice get up with Theo in pursuit. " Hey, where are you going?" "Ice bear will go back to sleep now." " By the way, why were you up, Icy." Both brothers listened closely. They were concerned. They wanted to know why Ice was up as well. They saw Ice cringe as he turned around to face Theo. " Ice bear doesn't feel like he should tell you." "It was a nightmare, was it?" The brothers felt their stomachs drop at what Theo said. Was their brother... in pain? Was their brother scared? Why didn't he tell him?

" Grizz, if he's scared of something, he would tell us... Would he?" " I don't know Pan-Pan, little bro always did handle things by himself." They turned back towards the two, but what they saw made Panda and Grizz freeze with both surprise and anger. Ice's arm was held by Theo. They saw the uncomfortable look on Ice's face and the tugging of his arm, but Theo refused to let go, even squeezing the arm even tighter. What made the two older brothers so angry was the fright in Ice's eyes. They saw how scared and uncomfortable Ice felt. And that made their blood boil.

Before Grizz could storm through the kitchen and give Theo a piece of his mind, Panda hesitantly held him back. " If you're scared, you can talk to me about it, alright," Theo said with a sickly sweet smile. They saw Ice shakily nod his head, and Theo let go. They saw Ice pull his arm back towards himself, rubbing a little. " Goodnight, Icy-" " Don't call Ice bear that," Ice bear said quietly. Theo shrugged and walked away. Luckily for the two bears that were hiding, Theo exited the hall that was the opposite direction from Panda's and Grizz's hall. Finally, Ice entered his fridge, still shaking from what happened.

Grizz turned towards Panda and asked," Why did you stop me? That jerk shouldn't be picking on him." " Grizz, I think it would be best if we waited for tomorrow to confront him about it. Then, we can talk to our little brother about the nightmares, if they are, as Theo says, real." Grizz sighed and nodded his head. " Sorry for not believing you in the first place about Theo. Man, that guy's a freak." " It's okay Grizz, it's fine now." Both brothers shared a smile, and they walked towards the fridge. They thought about opening the fridge door to talk to their brother, but they thought it would be better if they waited for morning.

And with that, both brothers took a seat at the table and waited for Ice to get out of the fridge. They weren't really tired anyway.